UFC on FOX 13: Junior Dos Santos vs Stipe Miocic Fight Breakdown

Stipe Miocic ufc 188

UFC on FOX 13 will go down this Saturday (Dec 13th, 2014) wirth an action packed night of fights in Phoenix, Arizona. Junior Dos Santos vs Stipe Miocic is the headlining action, in quite an interesting pairing at heavyweight. The Brazilian banger returns after an ugly UFC 166 trilogy-making loss to Cain Velasquez. Miocic will look to further his three-fight spree in the division.

Without further ado, here is the LowKickMMA UFC on FOX 13: Junior Dos Santos vs Stipe Miocic fight breakdown:

Striking

It’s likely that this fight will take place on the feet, as both guys have proven their worth in the stand up. That being said, Miocic may not want to take the chance with a devastating knockout boxer like “Cigano”. Dos Santos holds 12 knockouts from 16 wins, and has the raw one-punch ability that most fighters dread facing. Miocic has dispatched 8 from 12 with his striking, although he is much more precise and measured with his stand up skills.

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It’s also worth noting that Miocic was a tasty amateur, winning the Golden Gloves as a youth. Both men are rather durable, each holding a single TKO loss each, which speaks volumes when you consider how frequent knockouts are at heavyweight. Dos Santos’ new found love for high kicks and spinning techniques may fit in well against a more orthodox striker like the “Croatian Sensation”, but all considered I’d say Dos Santos has the edge at 60-40

Takedowns

Dos Santos really has a non-existent offensive game here, but a reasonable 76% takedown defense rate. Miocic, a former NCAA division I wrestler, will likely have the advantage in this department. That being said, neither has particularly gone to the well for takedowns before, with an overall total of just 13 takedowns in a combined 19 fights. If it comes to it though, Miocic may need to use his wrestling to avoid the power of Dos Santos.

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All considered, the Croatian has the advantage at 60-40

Submissions

JDS is a black belt in BJJ under Yuri Carlton, but has never truly displayed his submission skills in the UFC. The Brazilian holds one actual submission victory, and that was during his days as a regional fighter. Miocic has no submission wins, or any formal experience or ranking in the world of Jiu Jitsu or otherwise.

As unlikely as it sounds, “Cigano” would likely have an advantage should he choose to make this a grappling match. Otherwise, we probably won’t see any flying armbar or scissor heel hook attempts between these two. 60-40 JDS

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Stay tuned to LowKickMMA.com, as we bring you more news and hype in the lead up to UFC on FOX 13 in Phoenix, Arizona.